Although it was anticipated, Colin Firth can officially begin celebrating his second Oscar nomination. The Chiswick actor has been nominated for the best actor award for his portrayal of King George VI in The King's Speech.

The film tops the Academy Awards' list with 12 nominations, including best picture and acting honors for co-stars Helena Bonham Carter and Geoffrey Rush.

Golden Globe winning Firth faces stiff competition from last year's winner Jeff Bridges in "True Grit" as well as Javier Bardem in "Biutiful",
Jesse Eisenberg in "The Social Network" and
James Franco in "127 Hours" for the award.

Nominated best actor in 2010 his role in A Single Man, he lost out to Jeff Bridges in Crazy Man.